Wichita eagle., 1887-04-03
TALK ON SMUGGLING.
NO MORE PIRATlCAL SHIPS AND
CREWS AS OF YORE.

People Of Wealth Who Like to Cheat
the Government - Sometimes Caught
When Least Expected-Ways of In
formers-SmuggIing Diamonds.
The day of genuine smuggling is gone
The smuggler of the boys romance of the
sea, who sailed in dark, suspicious looking
craft" and had q cave hid somewhere far
away, where he stored his goods and held
dark conclaves at night, has passed away,
and there are those who believe he never
existed at all But smuggling has not
stopped. Only now they do not go in gangs
and sail their own ships. They do not wear
red shirts and cutlasses nowadays. They
arc entirely respectable people, and so in the
best society. They wear fine clothes and
diamonds, and are very friendly with the
customs officers The smuggling is now
done mostly by fashionable people who
travel and by business men.
1--WE can never tell how much is DONE"
said special agent Of the government to a
reporter. II have no doubt an immense
number of things are landed without duty.
There is no such thing as a band of SNUG
glers but nearly every steamer brings over
some contraband goods.
"They are generally fine laces, millinery,
expensive tailor trimmings, and the like. A
great many business men go abroad with
trunks and bring them back full of these
things. They are very expensive, and many
thousand dollars worth can be brought over
in very small space. Expensive feathers,
fine velvets and ribbons, laces, silk braid
and trimmings Of all sorts take up but little
space and are subject to high duty. Some
times smugglers get caught We can't tell
how often they don't. Jewelry IS struggled
in to a great extent, particularly diamonds.
Nearly all the diamonds brought to this
country are smuggled. We know that
great quantity of these gems are imported,
but we have never collected duty on many.
Such an immense value can be carried in so
small a place that it is easy to evade the
customs officers Ten thousand dollars
worth of diamonds might be carried in
mans vest pocket. Who would think to
search him unless he was suspected of snug
Cling? The customs officers can't search
everybody.
"But then" he added, as IL he feared he
was Offering too much encouragement to vio-
lations OF the customs, "you must not think it
aItOSetDGC u SAFE DuSlileSS- GU u1I2uO SeO
caught when you least expected. Men who
think they are perfectly safe often fall into a
trap. There are people who arc always
ready TO give information that viii lead to
the uncovering of q s,nuggler. The govern
ment was warned by an anonymous letter
not long since that a certain party would sail
from Europe on certain steamer and that
if we would search him we would find dia-
monds. We were on the watch. He was a
very gentlemanly man of fine appearance and
good address. He had only the ordinary lug
gage; was perfectly willing that it should be
searched, but was amused at the idea OF being
suspected of smuggling. The officers felt
rether cheap after fruitless search, and
were apologiZing for the trouble they had
given him, when one of them picked up a
cake Of soap out of his dressing case. There
was nothing peculiar in the appearance of the
soap, but when the officer handled it too
roughly it broke open and out rolled the little
sparkling gems, The inside of the cake had
been followed out and $4,000 worth of dia-
monds slowed away in the cavity. Had we
not been notified he would have been per-
fectly safe and got through as the others have
done. But no man can be sure that he will
not be the one to De caught. Our informers
are everywhere. The government can give a
reward of as much as half the value Of the
goods seized to the inforrner This is an in
ducement to many people to report any cases
that como under their notice. There are
people constantly on the lookout on the other
side, and we are notified when TO look for
smugglers a great many patriotic citizens
have an antipathy for smugglers, and do, as
a matter of principle, report every one they
find. Preachers are particularly apt to do
this. The cloth is our best source of informa-
ton. People generally brag, on going
abroad that when they return they viii
bring so and so without duty. We generally
hear of this and are on the lookout. Only
the other day a gentleman came to theefiice
! and Informed me of parties who were going
to bring over lot of valuable things He
did it merely because he hated smuggling.
GIVE THEM AWAY.